Is historical linguistics different in
principle from other linguistic research? This
book addresses problems encountered in
gathering and analysing data from early
English, including the incomplete nature of the
evidence and the dangers of misinterpretation
or over-interpretation. Even so, gaps in the
data can sometimes be filled. The volume brings
together a team of leading English historical
linguists who have encountered such issues
first-hand, to discuss and suggest solutions to
a range of problems in the phonology, syntax,
dialectology and onomastics of older English.
The topics extend widely over the history of
English, chronologically and linguistically,
and include Anglo-Saxon naming practices, the
phonology of the alliterative line,
computational measurement of dialect
similarity, dialect levelling and
enregisterment in late Modern English,
stress-timing in English phonology and the
syntax of Old and early Modern English. The
book will be of particular interest to
researchers and students in English historical
linguistics.

Part I. Metrics and Onomastics in Older
English:
1. Introduction - Chris McCully and David
Denison;
2. What explanatory metrics has to say about
the history of English function words -
Geoffrey Russom;
3. To þære fulan flóde óf þære fulan flode: on
becoming a name in Easton and Winchester,
Hampshire - Richard Coates;
4. Notes on some interfaces between place-name
material and linguistic theory - Peter
Kitson;

Part III. Dialects in Older English:
8. Introduction: on the impossibility of
historical sociolinguistics - Emma Moore;
9. Levelling and enregisterment in northern
dialects of late modern English - Joan
Beal;
10. Quantitative historical dialectology -
April McMahon and Warren Maguire;
11. Reconstructing syntactic continuity and
change in early modern English regional
dialects: the case of who - Terttu
Nevalainen;

Part IV. Sound Change in Older English:
12. Introduction: when a knowledge of history
is a dangerous thing - Ricardo
Bermúdez-Otero;
13. Syllable weight and the weak-verb paradigms
in Old English - Donka Minkova;
14. How to weaken one's consonants, strengthen
one's vowels, and remain English at the same
time - Nikolaus Ritt;
15. Degemination in English, with special
reference to the Middle English period - Derek
Britton; Part V. Syntax in Older English:
16. Introduction - David Denison;
17. The status of the postposed 'and-adjective'
construction in Old English: attributive or
predicative? - Olga Fischer;
18. DO with weak verbs in early modern English
- Anthony Warner.

For all information on donating and pledging,
including information on how to donate by
check, money order, PayPal or wire transfer,
please visit: http://linguistlist.org/donation/

The LINGUIST List is under the umbrella of
Eastern Michigan University and as such can
receive donations through the EMU Foundation,
which is a registered 501(c) Non Profit
organization. Our Federal Tax number is
38-6005986. These donations can be offset
against your federal and sometimes your state
tax return (U.S. tax payers only). For more
information visit the IRS Web-Site, or
contact your financial advisor.

Many companies also offer a gift matching
program, such that they will match any gift
you make to a non-profit organization.
Normally this entails your contacting your
human resources department and sending us a
form that the EMU Foundation fills in and
returns to your employer. This is generally a
simple administrative procedure that doubles
the value of your gift to LINGUIST, without
costing you an extra penny. Please take a
moment to check if your company operates such
a program.